River looked into Amy's eyes, looking for any kind of emotion beyond the anger that was so obvious. "It's the TARDIS translation matrix. It takes a while to kick in with a written word; you have to concentrate."
Amy looked down at the old etching. For a moment there River thought Any was translating, that her job was done. But thinking it over again, it was Gallifreyan.
"Amy leveled the gun at her again. "I still can't read it".
River sighed with relief as she saw Rory attempting to take the gun from his wife's hands.
"It's because it's Gallifreyan, it doesn't translate." She placed the prayer leaf between Amy's hands. "But this will. It's your daughter's name in the language of the forest," she said with a gentle smile.
"I know my daughter's name!" Amy objected, but River was already watching her eyes shine at the sight of the words translating.
'Penny in the air,' she thought to her-self. "Except they don't have a word for 'pond' as the only water in the forest is the river. The Doctor will find your daughter, and he will care for her, what-ever it takes, and I know that".
'Penny dropped', she thought, breaking for a second, watching Amy realising what was going on.
"Because it's me," she said, "I'm Melody, I'm your daughter".
"Right, okay, interesting," the Doctor muttered. He looked at her with confusion and wonder and she did her best to stay calm.
"What's wrong? You are acting like we've never done this before," she said, already afraid of what his answer might be.
She could feel her heart break as he nodded. "We haven't. Oh, look at the time. Must be off. But it was nice. It was unexpected, but you know what they say…"
She prayed he won't say what she thought he was about to say, but her prays did not help as he went on. "There is always a first time for every-thing," he said as he vanished inside his TARDIS.
She sighed deeply when he was gone. "And a last time," she whispered to her-self and watched her vortex manipulator. There were only two people she wanted to see at times like this.
She watched as her cell disappeared behind her and she reappeared in front of the very familiar blue door. She could hear shouts from the inside, something about a shower and cleaning the table. She knocked softly, tears already rolling down her face. God, some-times she was such a cry baby.
"Your turn," she heard Amy shout from afar and the door swung open almost too fiercely.
Rory stood in front of her and his smile widened before he could establish what was going on.
"River," he said, only to realize she was crying. His smile disappeared and turned into a worried expression, and that was when she figured out she must look horrible.
Usually she meets them when she's strong River. She's the one that had lived a hard life and has learnt to deal with every-thing, the one that never cried. But at that moment it was clear to both of them that she was just Melody Pond, the little girl who came to seek for comfort in her parents' hugs.
"Are you okay?" he asked quietly, his Fatherly mode kicking in within seconds.
She shook her head but said nothing and Rory could feel his heart break seeing his daughter like that. They stood like that for a few moments when she finally opened her mouth to speak but all that came out of it was a call for help.
"Daddy," she choked and threw her-self into his arms, hugging him tightly. Rory returned the hug, ignoring the shouts from his wife about cleaning the table already.
"River…" he tried, wanting to understand what was going on, but she shook her head, begging silently.
"Daddy," she repeated, her voice breaking.
"Shh…" he said, drawing soothing circles on her back, "Daddy's here, I'm not leaving you".
River buried her face in the crook of his neck, and whispered slowly. "Can I stay Daddy? Please, just, as long as you can have me, even for one night…"
"Of course," he said without even stopping to think, "this is your home River; you can stay for as long as you wish and you don't need to ask".
After a few moments in which he let her cry and hug him as much as she wanted he tried again. "River…"
She took a step back so she could look at him.
"Do you want to get in? I'll make you some tea and you can relax inside, maybe tell me what happened?"
Finally, she nodded and they walked inside together. He made sure she sat next to the table and with a few swipes he cleaned it, and made sure there were enough room for some tea and cake.
"We have two cakes," he said after boiling the water for their tea, "we have my mother's white chocolate cake and the orange one Amy bought yesterday. What do you prefer?"
She smiled at him. "Nana's cake would be wonderful Dad, thanks".
He nodded and went to get two slices of his mother's brilliant cake they all loved so much. "Do you want to tell me when you came from?" he asked as he sat in front of her, handing her a cup of steaming tea.
"Nine-teen sixty nine," she said, knowing it explained every-thing.
"I'm sorry," he said as if he was an automatic answer-phone, and she knew he planned to apologise about it for a long time now.
"What are you sorry for?" she demanded. "It's none of your fault". She looked around the room. She felt a bit better but she knew that the moment her mother came down the stairs after her bath she'd burst into tears all over again.
"You were lost, and scared, and begging for our help. We let that thing get to you," he insisted.
"Dad, there was nothing you could do about it. It was bound to happen, and the thing is you both being there gave me the power to escape that thing, that space man".
Rory nodded, defeated. "But there's more, isn't there River?" And some-times River was still surprised at how well her parents knew her. But she was not ready to reveal it all, maybe later when her mother was there as well.
"It was a hard day, but I will be okay. It was long and maybe traumatic even, but I am going to be fine. I just needed to see you and mum."
"Yes, you'll probably be fine some-time. You're a grown up and you've been through harder stuff. But the thing is, River, you're not alone any-more. You're my little girl, no matter how old you are, and I'm always here to listen and try to help".
"I love you so much," she said through tears, and before Rory could make up any answer they both looked up to see Amy getting down the stairs. When she saw her daughter she smiled broadly, but just as Rory's, Amy's smile turned into a worried expression when she saw River's tears.
"River?" she said, rushing to sit besides her, "what's going on? Are you okay?"
Tears rolled down River's face as the woman was, once again, out of words.
"Oh, Mother," she broke down. Amy looked straight into her daughter's eyes and her heart leapt.
"Do you want to tell me what's bothering you? You don't have to, I can ask Daddy".
Amy's motherly instincts were always better than Rory's. She knew just when to talk teasingly to River and approach both her-self and her husband as her friends Rory and Amy, and when River needed a helping hand from her father and mother.
"Gosh, it's so weird, isn't it? It's either I don't cry from when I was nine, or I cry for two hours straight like a little girl," she smiled weakly. Amy smirked at her, but River knew she was too worried, such a lovely mother.
"You're allowed to be our little girl for every once in a while River. You've been our best friend for so many years; you're allowed to be our daughter for a few hours. Drink you tea, and Dad will explain what happened okay?"
"Thanks," she addressed no one in particular and picked her cup of tea up once again.
"She's back from 1969," Rory explained with a sad expression.
"Oh, River, I'm so sorry. I reckon it was a really hard day for you?"
'Aren't they the same' River thought to herself. "I'm going to be okay mum, really, you two worry too much".
"If you're going to be okay then why are you crying so hard? I know you River, no matter how different you look from the girl I recognise as my best friend. If it isn't the day that bothers you so much, something else does".
They stared into each-other's eyes for a few long moments. River knew Amy will not leave it be, and will keep staring into her eyes until she confessed some-thing was up.
"Stupid back to front life with the Doctor," is what she murmured at the end.
"That's what I thought," Amy grunted. "Tell me what happened with you two."
River's familiar smirk was up and shining and Amy loved how she can sense improvement in River's condition. "Are you sure you want to hear about your daughter's love life, Mother dear?"
"Now, young lady," Amy demanded.
"Yes Mum, sorry," River mumbled, muttering to her-self that it shouldn't work on her any-more. "He took me home after the events of the day".
Both Amy and Rory looked at her, listening carefully. "We said our good-byes and… Well I kissed him. And the stupid thing, he said there was a first time for every-thing. It was our last kiss for me".
And like a lightning, both her parents were on her side, holding her tightly. "It's going to be okay, River," Amy soothed. "Yes, you're not going to share more kisses, but what you are going to share are funny moments, amazing moments, and always remember that you can change the future just like you can change the past".
River looked up at her mother, her best friend. "Thanks," she whispered, and gave in into the hug once again. "You're good at it".
"Well," Amy smiled, "I have an amazing daughter that needs my help. I should be able to give her just that".